Close the game's own console and bring its window to the front (#208, #521)

A game started from a frontend (Playnite, RetroBat, ES-DE) or a shortcut got a console beside it, and its window
opened behind other windows, out of reach without a mouse. Once the log file is open, the console is freed when no
other process shares it; a terminal launch keeps its output, and show_console = 1 keeps the console. The window is
raised at start, with AttachThreadInput when Windows refuses the foreground. rt_fatal writes only to the log, and a
console owned by the game closed with it anyway, so no error text is lost.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5.5 <noreply@anthropic.com>

runtime/cfg.c

@@ -51,7 +51,7 @@ static const char *const known[] = {
     "REPLAY_CHECK", "RESOLVE_CHECK", "RESTART_WAIT", "ROMFS", "ROMFS_INDEX", "ROMFS_MMAP", "ROMFS_MODS", "ROMFS_PATCHES",
     "ROMFS_PROOF_DIR", "ROMFS_VERIFY", "RSTICK_DEADZONE", "RUMBLE", "RUMBLE_CURVE", "RUMBLE_STRENGTH", "RUMBLE_TRIGGERS", "SHADER_CACHE",
     "SHADER_MEMO", "SHADOW_RANGE", "SHADOW_RES", "SHADOW_SCALE", "SHARED_FONTS", "SHARPNESS", "SHOTS", "SHOTS_DIR",
-    "SHOTS_FULL", "SPEED_PROBE", "SPIN", "SPIN_HANDOFF_US", "SPLIT_DRAWS", "SPLIT_US", "STICK_DEADZONE", "STICK_SENS",
+    "SHOTS_FULL", "SHOW_CONSOLE", "SPEED_PROBE", "SPIN", "SPIN_HANDOFF_US", "SPLIT_DRAWS", "SPLIT_US", "STICK_DEADZONE", "STICK_SENS",
     "SWKBD_ANSWER",
     "SWKBD_TEST", "TEST_PAD", "TEST_PREPARE_SHADERS", "TEX_ALIAS", "TEX_MEMO", "TEX_VRAM_PRESSURE", "TIMER_1MS", "TRACE", "TXD_TRANSPOSE", "UBO_SNAPSHOT", "UPSCALER", "VK_DYN_A2C", "VK_DYN_VERTEX", "VK_NO_FLOAT64",
     "VK_PRESENT", "VK_RECORDER", "VK_SSBO_ALIGN", "VK_SUBGROUP", "VK_SUBGROUP_PIN", "VK_VALIDATION", "VOLUME", "VRAM_HEADROOM", "VS_OUTS",
@@ -96,7 +96,7 @@ static const struct { const char *key, *section; } sections[] = {
     {"PUSH_SKIP", "performance"}, {"SPLIT_DRAWS", "performance"}, {"SPLIT_US", "performance"}, {"VK_VALIDATION", "performance"},
     {"VK_DYN_VERTEX", "performance"}, {"VK_DYN_A2C", "performance"}, {"VK_SUBGROUP_PIN", "performance"},
     {"TRACE", "diagnostics"}, {"FLIGHT", "diagnostics"}, {"PASS_CRUMBS", "diagnostics"}, {"FLIGHT_SPIKE_MS", "diagnostics"},
-    {"WB_FENCE_LIMIT", "diagnostics"}, {"WB_EXACT", "diagnostics"},
+    {"WB_FENCE_LIMIT", "diagnostics"}, {"WB_EXACT", "diagnostics"}, {"SHOW_CONSOLE", "diagnostics"},
 };
 
 // The settings the menu shows: the value in effect when the key is unset, and what the key accepts. The only place a
@@ -166,7 +166,7 @@ static const CfgMeta metas[] = {
     {"VK_DYN_A2C", "", "0|1", RESTART}, {"VK_SUBGROUP_PIN", "1", "0|1", RESTART},
     // diagnostics
     {"TRACE", "", NULL, RESTART}, {"FLIGHT", "0", "0|1", RESTART}, {"FLIGHT_SPIKE_MS", "100", "0..60000", RESTART},
-    {"WB_FENCE_LIMIT", "65536", "0..1073741824", RESTART}, {"WB_EXACT", "1", "0|1", RESTART},
+    {"SHOW_CONSOLE", "0", "0|1", RESTART}, {"WB_FENCE_LIMIT", "65536", "0..1073741824", RESTART}, {"WB_EXACT", "1", "0|1", RESTART},
     {"PASS_CRUMBS", "", "0|1", RESTART},   // vk_crumbs.c pass marks; unset: VK_AMD_buffer_marker only
     {"INPUT_RECORD", "", NULL, RESTART},
 };

runtime/gfx_window_win.c

@@ -279,6 +279,24 @@ static LRESULT CALLBACK wnd_proc(HWND h, UINT m, WPARAM w, LPARAM l) {
     return DefWindowProcW(h, m, w, l);
 }
 
+// Brings the game window to the front. Windows refuses SetForegroundWindow to a process that was not the last to get
+// input, which is the case for a game started by a frontend; attaching this thread's input queue to the foreground
+// window's thread for the call is the documented way around it. The window is not left topmost.
+static void raise_window(HWND h) {
+    HWND fg = GetForegroundWindow();
+    DWORD me = GetCurrentThreadId(), other = fg ? GetWindowThreadProcessId(fg, NULL) : 0;
+    int attached = other && other != me && AttachThreadInput(me, other, TRUE);
+    ShowWindow(h, IsIconic(h) ? SW_RESTORE : SW_SHOW);
+    BringWindowToTop(h);
+    SetForegroundWindow(h);
+    SetActiveWindow(h);
+    if (attached) AttachThreadInput(me, other, FALSE);
+    if (GetForegroundWindow() != h) {   // still refused: a topmost toggle puts it above the others without keeping it there
+        SetWindowPos(h, HWND_TOPMOST, 0, 0, 0, 0, SWP_NOMOVE | SWP_NOSIZE);
+        SetWindowPos(h, HWND_NOTOPMOST, 0, 0, 0, 0, SWP_NOMOVE | SWP_NOSIZE);
+    }
+}
+
 static void window_main(void *arg) {
     (void)arg;
     HINSTANCE inst = GetModuleHandleW(NULL);
@@ -293,10 +311,10 @@ static void window_main(void *arg) {
     int cw, ch, ow, oh;
     cfg_window_size(&cw, &ch);
     outer_size(NULL, cw, ch, &ow, &oh);
-    // The window opens behind the user's windows without taking focus: it shows the game's blank loading frames for a
-    // while, and must not cover what the player works on meanwhile. The game still counts itself in focus until the
-    // first WM_ACTIVATEAPP, so loading goes on, and keyboard input waits for the foreground (input_win.c). Its taskbar
-    // button flashes until it is brought up, and TOTK_FULLSCREEN waits for that first activation.
+    // The window opens behind the user's windows first and is then raised (raise_window): a game started by a frontend
+    // has no other way to reach it. The game counts itself in focus until the first WM_ACTIVATEAPP, so loading goes on,
+    // and keyboard input waits for the foreground (input_win.c). If Windows still refuses the foreground, the taskbar
+    // button flashes, and TOTK_FULLSCREEN waits for the first activation.
     // TOTK_BACKGROUND_WINDOW=1 (test runs): no flashing, never fullscreen at start, and F11 keeps the window's place.
     int background = g_background = cfg_get("TOTK_BACKGROUND_WINDOW") && atoi(cfg_get("TOTK_BACKGROUND_WINDOW"));
     g_hwnd = CreateWindowExW(0, wc.lpszClassName, L"TotK Recomp", WND_STYLE, CW_USEDEFAULT, CW_USEDEFAULT, ow, oh, NULL,
@@ -315,6 +333,7 @@ static void window_main(void *arg) {
         outer_size(g_hwnd, cw, ch, &ow, &oh);
         SetWindowPos(g_hwnd, HWND_BOTTOM, 0, 0, ow, oh, SWP_NOMOVE | SWP_NOACTIVATE | SWP_SHOWWINDOW);
         if (!background) {
+            raise_window(g_hwnd);   // a frontend's player may have no way to reach a window left behind
             FLASHWINFO fw = {.cbSize = sizeof fw, .hwnd = g_hwnd, .dwFlags = FLASHW_TRAY | FLASHW_TIMERNOFG};
             FlashWindowEx(&fw);
             g_fs_pending = cfg_fullscreen();

runtime/main.c

@@ -546,6 +546,10 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv) {
     if (cfg.seconds && mode) return usage(argv[0]);
     log_open(!mode);
     if (!mode) {
+        // A game launched by a frontend or a shortcut gets a console of its own that only gets in the way. The log is in
+        // a file by now; with no log file, or with show_console = 1, the console stays.
+        if (rt_log_path() && !cfg_bool("TOTK_SHOW_CONSOLE") && plat_console_release_if_owned())
+            rt_log("console: owned by the game alone, released (show_console = 1 keeps it)");
         cfg.boot = cfg.seconds > 0;   // --seconds starts the game like --boot, with its checkpoints
         rt_boot();
         return 0;

runtime/platform/linux.c

@@ -1262,6 +1262,8 @@ int plat_os_version(char *out, size_t cap) {
 
 int plat_is_wine(void) { return 0; }
 
+int plat_console_release_if_owned(void) { return 0; }
+
 int plat_stderr_path(char *out, size_t cap) {
     struct stat st;
     if (fstat(2, &st) || !S_ISREG(st.st_mode)) return 0;

runtime/platform/platform.h

@@ -378,6 +378,11 @@ int plat_is_wine(void);                                   // 1 when the Windows
 // The file the process's stderr (the log) goes to, as a UTF-8 path; 0 when stderr is not a file (a console, a pipe).
 int plat_stderr_path(char *out, size_t cap);
 
+// Detaches the process from its console when no other process shares it (a frontend or a shortcut started us and
+// Windows made the console for us); a terminal the user started us from keeps its output. Returns 1 when detached.
+// Linux: 0.
+int plat_console_release_if_owned(void);
+
 // ---- desktop: the in-game menu's "Copy system info" and "Open log folder"
 int plat_clipboard_set(const char *utf8);                 // replaces the clipboard's text; 1 on success
 int plat_open_folder(const char *path);                   // shows the folder in the file manager; 1 on success

runtime/platform/win32.c

@@ -1303,6 +1303,17 @@ int plat_stderr_path(char *out, size_t cap) {
     return WideCharToMultiByte(CP_UTF8, 0, p, -1, out, (int)cap, NULL, NULL) != 0;
 }
 
+// GetConsoleProcessList counts this process alone only when the console was created for it. The window is hidden first
+// and then the console freed: under Windows Terminal as the default terminal, freeing is what closes the terminal
+// window that opened beside the game.
+int plat_console_release_if_owned(void) {
+    DWORD pids[2];
+    if (!GetConsoleWindow() || GetConsoleProcessList(pids, 2) != 1) return 0;
+    ShowWindow(GetConsoleWindow(), SW_HIDE);
+    FreeConsole();
+    return 1;
+}
+
 // ---- desktop
 
 int plat_clipboard_set(const char *utf8) {

totk.ini.example

@@ -325,6 +325,10 @@
 # cheat_0123abcd = 1
 
 [diagnostics]
+# Keep the console window of a game started from a frontend (Playnite, RetroBat, ES-DE) or a shortcut. Default 0: the
+# console that Windows opened for the game alone is closed once the log is open. A game started from a terminal keeps
+# printing there either way; the log is logs\totk.log.
+# show_console = 0
 # Extra lines in the log, comma separated: svc, host, ipc, fs, gfx, perf, sched, audio, present or all. The menu's
 # Performance log sets perf (frame timings). Default: none.
 # trace = perf